


A Beautiful Winter Night

by Sodokachi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, F/M, Marichat, Marichat May, ladrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 04:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10891902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sodokachi/pseuds/Sodokachi
Summary: Chat's great night is interrupted. Will his perfect night be ruined? Or will Marinette be able to salvage it? Maybe a sleepover will be just the thing Chat needs.Warning: this summary is only technically true.





	A Beautiful Winter Night

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for MariChat May 12th: Sleepover. This got away from me a bit. haha. ha. 3k words. That's not a drabble at all! So this is now a stand-alone one-shot. Go figure.

 

Tonight was a great night for Chat Noir; he was on solo patrol and loving every second of it.

He really enjoyed solo patrols. He loved spending time with his lady, but there was truly something special about letting loose by himself. At night time he could truly be free.

So as he darted from rooftop to rooftop he couldn't help but grin and laugh. It really was a beautiful winter night. Pars was quite the sight and he couldn't help but take it all in.

It was quite cold, what with it being nighttime during the winter, but it didn't bother him much. The constant movement warmed him as he made his way around to the Eiffel tower. Soon he would have to return home, but first he ascended the tower. Slightly out of breath he still managed to cheer as he reached the top. He took his time as he admired the most wonderful view of Paris there was at night. The view from the top of the Eiffel.

After a couple more moments enjoying the sight he descended the tower and started heading towards home. He grinned when he saw Marinette's balcony. It was too bad that it was so late or else he could have seen her tonight. Still, He would get to go right over her home to get back to his.

He was still panting a bit from the climbing and running when his feet touched down on the rails of Marinette's balcony. Unfortunately, it was a bit colder than he thought and the rails were covered in a very thin sheet of ice. The moment his feet touched the rails he slipped and fell. He let out a very loud yelp as he did so. He tried to stop himself from hitting the ground by planting his right leg down first, but instead of stopping his fall his leg twisted harshly. All of his weight pushed down on it and for a second his vision went white.

A moment later Chat found himself staring into the night sky as his right leg throbbed with pain. He decided this night had been good, but was getting worse with every throb of pain. Really, things could be worse right?

Groaning Chat tried to stand, but immediately yelped again when he tried to put even the slightest weight on his right leg. He leaned against the railing as he took deep breaths.

"This night might not be the best anymore..." He grimaced.

Glancing around he realized he had no way of getting down from Marinette's balcony.

"...How in the world am I going to get home?" He muttered.

* * *

Marinette woke to a loud yelp and a thump coming from above her.

She probably would have panicked more if Chat Noir didn't regularly come by. As it was she just stared at her trap door and proceeded to wonder if she could go back to sleep. As the seconds ticked on she slowly started to drift back into dreamland until suddenly she was startled back awake by another yelp. This time she could hear the pain in it.

Frowning Marinette brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. If Chat was anything other than hurt there was going to be hell to pay for ruining her sleep.

She took her time sitting up and stopped after pushing her covers away from her. She yawned cutely as she considered the hatch above her. She stood and opened it and then climbed out of her room and into the cold.

Her eyes burned a bit from the cold as her eyes glanced over her balcony. Chat Noir blended in as he leaned against the rail straight across from Marinette.

He hadn't seemed to notice her yet. For some reason, maybe due to just being woke up, his inability to notice her irritated her. So instead of quietly announcing her presence she loudly coughed to get his attention.

Startled Chat forgot himself as he tried to move into a fighting stance. Instead he yelped again as his right leg collapsed under him. As he lied on the ground he grit his teeth and bit back tears at the renewed pain.

Marinette, meanwhile, gaped at the boy. She wasn't actually expecting him to be injured and was now at a complete loss.

"Are... you just... going to... stare?" Chat managed to get out as he hissed in pain.

Shaken out of her shock she quickly moved forward and wrapped her arms around the young superhero. She went into her Ladybug mindset as she helped get him up. He started to let go of her so he could to try and lean on the rail again.

"Hold on to me Chat. Let's get you into my room."

He immediately complied by holding onto her left side as they both wobbled towards the hatch. As they reached it she gently sat him down.

"How am I getting down with this-" He gestured to his leg. "-thing stopping me from landing?"

"I'm going to catch you." She didn't wait for an answer as she slid through the hatch. She turned back towards him as soon as she was down and held out her arms.

"Talk about trust falls." He muttered to himself. "Hopefully this cat won't land on his feet."

Chat grit his teeth and braced for the pain as he slid himself down the hatch. Marinette caught him by wrapping her arms around his waist. They both let out an oomph as they fell onto Marinette's bed.

Marinette had to get off him quickly when she heard him grunt in pain.

"What's wrong with your leg?" She demanded.

"I don't know." He bit out.

"What do you mean you don’t... never mind. How did you hurt it?" She cut herself off.

"I slipped on the rail of your balcony. Next thing I know my leg is hurting and I'm on the ground."

She sighed. At least it wasn't an akuma. "Can I see?" She asked her tone much gentler than before.

Wordlessly Chat stretched his right leg out across her bed. She quickly kneeled down next to him. She glanced over it and didn't see anything obviously wrong.

"I'm going to try and see if anything feels out of place." She glanced up to see if he had any complaints and was surprised by the fearful look on his face. "If, um... that's okay with you?"

His mouth set itself into a line as he nodded at her. She frowned as she realized he was bracing for pain. She really needed to check though.

Marinette was as gentle as she could possibly be as she pressed down on different parts of Adrien's leg. Surprisingly he didn't seem to be feeling any extra pain from her hands.

"I think you may have just hurt the muscle." Marinette gave her best smile. "Better than breaking something right?"

"Tabby honest the pain is bad enough that I'm having trouble looking on the cat side of life."

Marinette stared at his deadpan expression and wondered if he always made puns when he was hurting. Her kitty was strong she knew, but this was a whole other level. Hopefully this hadn't happened before without her knowing about it.

"Can I stay for now? I can't really go anywhere so..." He looked hesitant.

"Of course you're staying." She rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Marinette." He said softly

She frowned. He wasn't acting the same as he usually did. All of this hesitance and softness was not what she expecting from the normally boisterous boy. His vulnerability just made her want to protect her partner even more than before.

"You can take the bed since it would be seriously hard to move you. I don't mind sleeping on the chaise." She nodded down towards where she was going to sleep. She almost expected an argument. Instead he merely said thanks in that softer tone and she found herself blushing.

"Your welcome!" She squeaked. What was wrong with her?

* * *

As she lay on her chaise with a couple blankets she had dug out of her closet she had to consider what they were going to do when morning came. Chat Noir would need to return to his home before anyone found out he was gone. That was a tall order when the boy couldn't even stand. This was really a bad situation identity wise. If she couldn't figure out some way to get him back his identity would be compromised. Worse, it wouldn't be to her, it would be to Chat's parents.

She couldn't allow that. It was one thing if she found out due to this stupid accident, it was an entire new problem for Chat's family to know. She wasn't sure she even trusted the people Chat called family to keep his secret like she would. He always seemed so lonely after all.

This line of thought wasn't really helping though.

"Can't sleep Marinette?" Tikki spoke softly from her place on the back of her chaise.

"I can't figure out a way out of this for Chat." Marinette worried her lip. "I don't want him to be in danger just because of a stupid accident." She whispered.

Tikki nodded in understanding. "What are you going to do then?"

"What am I going to do?" Marinette looked confused.

Tikki just smiled at her.

"I know that would work but...!" Marinette sighed.

"You always protected your identity for Chat and your family’s safety." Tikki floated in front of her. "If Chat's safety is at risk doesn't that supersede needing to protect your identity?"

"Super-what?" Marinette's face scrunched up cutely.

"Isn't Chat's safety more important than your identity?" Tikki bopped her nose and giggled.

"Of course." Marinette murmured.

"Then you already know what you're going to do." Tikki smiled widely her eyes shining with pride.

Marinette nodded. Tomorrow was going to be difficult, but she would do anything to protect her partner. Even if it meant compromising her identity.

* * *

Morning dawned on the Dupain-Cheng house. Chat Noir hadn't got much sleep. He had spent the night wondering how he was going to get back to his house. Of course even if he could get back how in the world would he explain his injury? Or the fact that the only way he could sneak out was to transform and go through his window. He was glad that he ended up getting hurt on Marinette's balcony instead of some horrid place in the middle of Paris. That would have been far worse.

At least here he had a friend to help him. Even if said friend only knew him from his occasional visits to play games and steal her cookies. Marinette was amazing enough that she hadn't even hesitated to help him. Honestly the girl was too much for him. He had no idea how he was ever going to thank her for all the things she constantly did for him.

Though that was all pointless considering the fact that he was probably going to be outed as soon as his father realized he was missing. He would never get to thank her if his father locked him inside his room for the rest of his life.

As the sun finally rose high enough to shine through the hatch above Marinette's bed he decided there was no better time to start freaking out.

He would have to if it wasn't for Marinette climbing the ladder to the loft and sitting down next to him. He would have said something if it hadn't been for the expression of nervousness on her face.

"You need to get home right?" Marinette gripped her pigtails as she spoke nervously.

Chat nodded.

"But you can't get home because of your leg?"

Chat frowned and tried to stand. Marinette quickly put her arm around his as he tried to. Chat didn't immediately topple over this time, but he did grimace a little as he gingerly tried to shift his weight.

"I don't think so... no." He glared at his leg.

Marinette giggled at his expression. "I'll help then." She said with determination.

"Um... not to be rude or anything, but how exactly are you going to help me get back home?"

Marinette just chuckled nervously. "Well, you see... I'm going to take you there!"

Chat stared at her. "But... How though?"

She stared back at him and tugged one of her pigtails again. She got even more fidgety and started shuffling her feet as she tried to tell him.

"Marinette, not that I want to rush you, but I really need to get back soon. So if you have a plan I'm all ears."

Marinette stared at him with her eyes opened wide. She took a deep breath, smile, and then- "I'm Ladybug." -she looked expectantly at him.

Chat Noir wondered if he had hit his head instead of his leg when he had slipped. Why else would Marinette be confessing that she was Ladybug? Though that did make way too much sense.

Oh, Marinette was Ladybug.

"Erm, surprise~" Marinette smiled wide at him.

"You're Ladybug?" He asked to make sure he hadn’t misheard her.

Marinette nodded.

"Wow. I'm blinder than a bat."

She frowned. "I don't think so. I mean, I managed to stop Alya from figuring it out too and she's pretty sharp."

Chat winced.

"What's wrong?" She asked in concern.

"Sorry, still hurts a bit, even when I'm not moving." He smiled to show he was fine. "I guess I'll take you up on that offer then."

"Aha, yeah! I'm going to have to know who you are as well you know."

"Yeah." He grimaced. "Probably best if I detransform now."

"Yeah." She replied somewhat breathlessly. Should she be this excited? She suddenly really wanted to know who her partner was under the mask. Could he be someone she knew? Maybe he was-

"Plagg, Detransform me." With a flash of light Adrien Agreste took the place of Chat Noir.

Marinette sat there stunned. Her partner... and Adrien???

Adrien and Plagg both watched the girl for an entire minute as she sat there frozen in shock.

"Sooo... cheese?" Plagg begged.

Sighing, Adrien handed Plagg the small piece of camembert he usually kept on him. Just then a small red and black spotted creature similar to Plagg appeared he almost expected her to demand cheese he didn't have.

"Hello, my name is Tikki. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Chat Noir, Adrien." She smiled at him and held out a paw in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you too." He said softly. He shook her small paw with his fingers.

Meanwhile in Marinette's head things were not going quite as smoothly.

She should have figured it out sooner! Chat had been so kind to Ladybug when they were fighting Stoneheart! She had kissed Adrien during Dark Cupid! That valentine must have been for Ladybug, which was still her, but the mask part made so much more sense now! Adrien always vanished when Chat needed to be somewhere! The sneaker! For Pete’s sake that was a horrible excuse. Adrien was her partner! Hers! Not Chloe's! Ha!

Her thoughts continued in that same unproductive grain until Adrien finally gave up on waiting and prodded her gently in the side. She jumped.

"Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir!" She shout-whispered.

Adrien nodded in agreement. "I am. Now how about we get going before my father figures out I'm missing?"

She gaped at him for another moment and a half before finally pulling herself together. She could freak out more when Adrien's identity wasn't at risk.

"I think you need to be transformed...?" Adrien suggested hesitantly.

"Right!" She nodded. "Tikki, Transform me!"

Adrien watched in awe of her transformation. She had just supplanted every other magical girl transformation in his book.

Ladybug flushed at Adrien's awed look. She clasped her hands together.

"So... we should get going yeah?"

"Yeah." He smiled at her.

* * *

The trip was full of awkward compliments, shock, and awe. The two of them couldn't really handle the fact that the person they liked most was so close to them the entire time.

Still, as Ladybug gently let Adrien go after she landed in his room they hadn't fixed the most glaring problem. His leg.

"I might be able to skip talking to Nathalie and get to the car, but once I'm at school..."

"Well, I'll be helping you there. So don't worry!" Ladybug grinned at him.

Adrien blinked. "I don't want you to have to-"

"Nonsense! We’re partners and that means you can rely on me whenever!" Ladybug couldn't stop grinning. Adrien was her partner. She couldn't believe she was this lucky.

Her enthusiasm was contagious as a grin spread across Adrien's face as well. ""If you're sure."

"Of course." She nodded.

"I'll see you then, my lady."

She flushed at the endearment and almost tripped because of it on the way out.

Plagg floated up beside Adrien.

"Wow. I think you’re getting some serious karma payback here."

"You think so?" Adrien’s voice had a dreamy quality to it.

Plagg made a noise of disgust.

"You're going to be even more insufferable now that you know aren't you?!"

Adrien hummed happily. "Probably~"

Plagg shook his head. What did he do to deserve this? Oh well, he would always have his cheese. With that he went to go procure some more.

* * *

School went well with Marinette covering for him. They had to use an excuse for why they were so close though. He wasn't sure if Marinette was conformable playing his pretend girlfriend, but he sure couldn't complain. Well, he could complain that she wasn't his actual girlfriend, yet.

As he got home he texted Marinette that he had arrived safely. Soon he got a text back saying she was happy to hear that he was fine. Adrien smiled at the concern. Maybe last night went better than he had thought. In fact he decided that the night before had indeed been one of the best. He had truly met his lady for the first time after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! ^.^


End file.
